Stekeotyping-machine



c. L. 1110mm, I STEREOTYPING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED DEC. I7, I917. I '1,313,1 14. Patented Aug. 12,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IIIIII" INV EN TOR.

c. L. REDFIELD.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVEN TOR.

WI TNESSES:

THE COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPII c6 WAsHlNG'mN. n. c.

C. L. REDFIELD.

STEREOTYPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man 050.17, 1911.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IN V EN TOR.

CASPER L, REDFIELD, OF CHICAGO, IZLLIIQ'OIS.

STEBEOTYPING- MACI-IINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. '12, 1919.

Application filed December 17, 1917. Serial No. 207,559.

To all to hem it may concern:

Be it known that I, CASPER L. REDFIELD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Chicago,.county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stereotyping-lVIachines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to stereotyping ma chines and has for its object improvement in such apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the machine closed for making a casting;

-Fig. 2 is a front elevation;

Fig. 3 is an elevation similar to Fig. 1 but with the machine open;

Fig. 1 is a partial section on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5. is'a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a detail.

The main parts of the machine consist of platens 11 and 12 mounted in a frame 10. The platen 11 has trunnions 13 which are mounted in bearings 14 in the frame 10.

The trunnions 13 are about one-quarter of the distance from the lower to the upper end of the platen 11. The exact location of these trunnions is, however, determined in the manner to be hereinafter described.

The'lower ends of platens 11 and 12 are hinged together by the shaft 15, the hinge center or pivot point being offset from platen 11 and under the end of platen 12. Mounted on the frame 10 are adjustable bearings 16 which carry a shaft 17 and pivoted on this shaft are links 18 which have their other ends pivoted at 19 to the platen 12.

On the upper end of platen 11 are handles 20 by which the said platen 11 may be manually turned on its pivoting center 13. When so turned to move the platen 11 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 3, the platen 12 is elevated by reason of the shaft 15 moving about the.

center of trunnions 13. In its horizontal position, the platen 11 rests on lugs 21 on frame 10.

Referring to Fig. 3 it'will be seen that nearly the entire weight of platens 11 and 12 rest upon the trunmons 13, and considering these trunnions as a pivoting center,

1 on lugs 21.

- center.

the platen 11 has a long end and a short As shown in. Fig.3, the weight of platen 12 .is supported at the pivot 15 on :the short end of the'platen 11'. In this-position the comblned weights of platens'lland 12'are 13. The amount of unbalancing desired {is that which will cause the machine to. stay in-its open position-with platen 11' resting Normally5a lift fOf fifteen or twenty pounds applied to handles 20 to turn the platen 11 on its pivot 13 ,would be appropriate in a machine in whiclrthe total weight of the two platens would be some two hundred or three hundred pounds. By lo-. eating the pivot 13' nearer tothe-short end ofplaten' 11 thangshown in the drawings,

an increased lift. on handles 20 would. be

required to turn the platen on its pivot, By locating the pivot 13 farther from the fSllOIt end, less lift would be necessary on the handles 20. It will be evident that by a proper nearly, but not quite, balanced onthe pivot location of the pivot 13, any desired degree 7 of balancing may be obtained, andfthat a very heavymachine may be" moved with a light force.

With the parts in'the position shown in 7 Fig. 1, the center of weight of the two platens is to the left ofthe pivoting center 13. As' a consequence, the tendency is for them to turn. contraclockwise on this 7 Such turning, however, is stopped bythe links 18 between the centers 17 and 19. In this position we have a toggle, the apex of which is the center 19 between the centers 17 and 13. A part of the weight of the platens is applied at this apexin downward pressure toiproduce compression in the members of the toggle; .One member of this toggle is composed of the links 18, and the other member is composed of the platens 11 and 12 pressed together by their own weight. 1 V The platen 11 is a flatbed having its upper face (Fig. 3) finished. The only pro-. j ection on this upper face is a bead or ledge 22 running transversely .atthe rear or lower edge ofthe platen. The'platen 12. is a'flat bed having its front face finished, and having this finished face bounded on its lateral sides by longitudinal ledges 23. These ledge are fixed, gages and have grooves as shown in Fig-5,which5grooves are the standard grooves used in gages or bearing bars forstereotyping machinery. They correspond to the edges of the grooves in the ledge 23. These tool marks are simply for convenience in locating a "matrix in the machine.

Used in connection with the platens is a T-bar 25 which is a T-gage and is here shown as being type high in thickness. The head of the Time a central head 26 on its outer edge, and the height of the ledge 22 is such that when the T-bar lies on the face of platen 11, the bead 26 will be in contact with the upper face of ledge 22, or will be removed therefrom an amount about equal to the thickness of a sheet of paper. ()n the end of the stem of the T is a handle- 27 by which said end may be raised. WVhen so raised the T-bar moves as a hinged piece by reason of the bead or lip 26 bearing upon the" ledge 22. There is, however, no permanent hinged connection as it is desirable to slide the bar transversely and also to remove it from time to time.

The two arms of the head of the T bar are of unequal length, and the total length of both arms is considerably more thanthe width of the platens. In Fig. 1 the short arm of the head is shown at 28 and the long arm at 29. The short arm 28 is of such length that when the stem 25 is at the center,laterally, of the platen 11, the end of the short arm will be about flush with the left hand sideof the platen 11. The length of the long arm 29 is such that when the stem 25 is pushed to the left so that the distance between the stem 25 and the left hand ledge 23 on platen 12 will be equal to the width of the narrowest casting wanted, the outer end of the arm 29 will be about flush with the right hand side of the platen 11.

The stereotype I castings are normally made in the space between the stem 25 and the left hand ledge 23, which space is marked 30 in Fig. 5. The under left hand edge of the stem 25 is grooved as shown in Fig. 5, the grooves in this stem matching and facing the grooves in the left hand ledge 23. The under face of the arm 28 is also grooved as shown in Figs. 3 and 7.

When it is desired to insert a matrix, the handle 27 is lifted and the matrix is placed on the platen 11. The marks 24 on that platen serve as a guide for determining the location of the left hand edge of the matrix under the left hand gage 23. The rear edge of the matrix is then pushed under the left hand arm of the T-head, and the T itself is slid laterally on the platen of the ledges 23.

so that when the handle 27 is lowered the stem 25 bears on the right hand edge of the matrix. In this condition, the rear and right hand edges of the matrix are embraced by the grooves in the head and stem of the T-gage. WVhen the machine is closed by lifting on the handles 20, the left hand edge of the matrix is embraced by the grooves in the left hand ledge or gage 23.

If the casting to be made from a matrix is not wider than 'onehalf of the width of V the platen 11, then the T-bar will be in the position shown in Fig. 1. If the casting is to be wider than one-half of the machine, then the T-ba-r is turned the other side up thus bringing the long arm 29 to the left and the short arm 28 to the right. The grooves shown in the upper face of the T-bar in Fig. 4 will then be turned downward to embrace a wide matrix between the stem 25 and the left hand ledge 23.

The shaft 15 forming the hinge between the two platens is somewhat smaller than the holes in the lugs through which the shaft passes. The result is that there is a small amount of play at this hinge connection. \Vhen the machine is open as shown in Fig. 3, the weight of the vertical platen 12 is supported on the shaft 15. When the machine is closed, the arms of the T-bar come under and against the lower edges In this condition the weight of the platen 12 comes upon the head of the T-bar and not on the shaft 15. This pinches the head of the T-bar between ledge 22 on platen l1 and ledges 23 on platen 12, and holds that bar firmly so that fluid metal poured into the space 30 (Fig. 5) will not cause the T-bar to slip laterally.

Suspended on the handle 27 is a loose hook 31. (Fig. 6.) When the platen 11 is in horizontal position the hook 31 is clear of the rib 32 on the under face of the platen, and the T-bar may be readily raised by hand. When, however, the platen 11 is raised from horizontal to vertical position, the hook 31 falls by gravity into engagement with rib 32 and holds the T-bar to the platen. lVhen the machine is being closed, and just before that closure is complete, the diagonal corners of the head of the T- bar (Fig. 1) are pinched between the ledges 22 and 23, and this pinching has a tendency to throw the outer (upper) end of the T- bar away from the platen 11. The hook 31 engaging rib 32 during the closing movement prevents this displacement of the T bar. lVhen the platen 11 is again lowered to horizontal position the hook 31 swings free of rib 32.

In ordinary stereotyping machines, the two platens are hinged together at one edge, and one platen or the other is unbalanced. To lift the unbalanced platen, the operator must lift one-half of its weight. In the present apparatus, one platen balances the other plat n, and the weight the operator must lift to operate the device is only that which is necessaryto keep the device from accidental displacement; In very heavy stereotyping machines of previous construction, a counterweight is applied to balance the upper platen, but such counterweight not only adds mechanism but serves its intended purpose only in a very imperfect manner. By making one platen balance the other, I not only obtain a better balancing but avoid the addition of other mechanism. As a consequence, the p'resent'device is balancedin a manner which is superior to and different from any previous balancing in stereotyping machinery. i

In ordinary stereotyping devices, the platens are held together'during casting by screw clamps. In small stereotyping outfits the upper platen may be held 'tothe lower one by a central screw after the manner of an ordinary letterpress. But in large machines there must be a series of clamps along the edges of the two platens. In my device, none of these clamps is necessary, as the device is self locking by its own weight. Metal poured into the space between the two platens adds its weight to the weight of the platens andlocks the device tighter instead of tending to open it.

To open the device requires a horizontal pull on the handles 20, and the force required for this purpose is determined by the relationship of weight to leverage. The center of weight (Fig. l) is in the vertical casting space between the two platens, and the point of support is at the pivot 13. The horizontal distance between the center of weight and point of support is short and may be made anything desired. The distance from this fulcrum 13 to the handles 20 is relatively long, and consequently a small force at 20 will turn a heavy Weight pivoted at 13.

The parts of the apparatus are so related to each other that they tend to stay in either the open or closed position. When the device is open, it requires a lift on the handles 20 to move the platens toward closed position. When the device is closed it requires a horizontal pull on the handles 20 to move the platens toward open position. In other words, the parts are unbalanced to a small and predetermined amount in opposite directions at the extremes of movement, and are perfectly balanced at some intermediate point between these extremes. The unbalanced condition at one extreme of movement is utilized for holding the apparatus from accidental displacement while it is open for the insertion of a matrix, and the unbalanced condition at the other extreme closed together,

of 'movement' is utilized for. holding the apparatus locked during the time a stereotype casting is "being made.

What I claim is:

1. In a stereotyping apparatus, the combination with a frame, of two platens hinged 2. In a stereotyping apparatus having twoplatens to be clamped together, a toggle for so clamping them, and means for utilizing the weight of the platens to operate said toggle. V p

3. A frame, two platens hingedtogethe'r, a pivotal connection between one of said platens and the frame, and means by which upon turning said platen on its pivot from horizontal to vertical position the weight of both platens will operate to clamp said platens together.

4. The combination with the frame and platens of a stereotyping apparatus, of a pivot in the frame for one platen, a link extending from the frame to the other platen, a hinge connecting the two platens, and means by which upon closing the platens to each other the weight of both platens comes between the pivot and the link and serves as a force to clamp the platens together.

5. A frame, a platen pivoted to the frame, said pivot being nearer to one end of the platen than to the other end, a second platen hinged to the short end of the first platen and a link connecting the second platen and the frame and serving to hold said second platen in an upright position, said parts being so arranged that upon turning the first platen on its pivot from horizontal to upright position the said parts will constitute a toggle operated by the weight of the parts and to clamp the faces of the platens together.

6. The combination with the frame and the platens of a stereotyping apparatus, of. a toggle device for clamping said platens together, said toggle being operated by the weight of the platens.

7 The combination with the frame and platens of a stereotyping apparatus of a toggle for clamping said platens together, said platens forming one link of said toggle.

8. The combination with the frame and platens of a. stereotyping apparatus, of a toggle for clamping said platens together, said platens forming one link of said toggle and the weight of said platens serving to operate said. toggle.

;9. In a stereotyping apparatus, a platen having a ledge as 22 .on the rear end thereof and a bar normally resting on said platen and having a bead or projection as 26 on its rear end extending over said ledge, said bar being laterally movable on said platen and said ledge and bead being so related that upon lifting the front end of said bar the entire bar will be raised clear of the face \of the platen.

10. In a stereotyping apparatus, a platen having a ledge as 22 on its rear end, and a T-bar having a bead as 26 on its head, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

11. In a stereotyping apparatus, a reversible T-bar, said bar having one arm of its head longer than the other arm, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

12. The combination with the platens of a stereotyping apparatus, of a T-bar for holding a matrix, said platens having ledges arranged to clamp the head of the bar when the platens are closed. r

13. The combination with the platens of a stereotyping apparatus, one of said platens being provided with a ledge as 23 serving to engage the edge of a matrix on the other platen, of a bar arranged to bear upon the opposite edge of the matrix, and means by which the ledge holds the bar from lateral displacement during the process of making 7 a stereotype casting in the matrix.

1%. In a stereotyping apparatus having tWo platens arranged to be closed together for the making of a casting, a. fixed gage Copies of this patent may be obtained foxfive cents each, by addressing -the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 11.16." 

